Don't Panic!

Don't worry... it's still me, Portia Da Costa!

As it's the new year, I decided that I'd try a new look, both here and over at my web site. I've been meaning to do something for ages, because the pink and fluffy, with a Victorian background, just isn't in sync with what I'm writing any more. I do have another Victorian book coming out, but even that has a restrained black and white cover.

The new colours are to match, more or less, the livery of my Black Lace books nowadays, especially the Accidental Trilogy... though the header is my evocative blindfolded girl... Gwen, from In Too Deep.

There's still a lot to do, a lot of tidying up and improving, but I feel better for starting to make changes and starting 2013 with a sharp new style.

New Year's Guidelines

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

I'm setting guidelines rather than solid resolutions this year, because I think I stand a better chance of success that way... although some of the guidelines will have to be as solid as resolutions, or my editor will kill me! LOL

Writing Related Guidelines

• Write 1500 words per day, every day, if I can
• Not get cross about things I can't change to do with publishing/self publishing/the book world
• Remain positive about my strengths
• Try and work around my weaknesses
• Meet my deadlines
• When deadlines are met, take time out for a REST!
• Not check my self published sales figures any more than once per day
• Ignore 'dramas' as much as I can
• When first guideline met, do something about my mailing list and my web site
• Blog more

General Guidelines

• Not dwell too much on my age
• Relish the small pleasures of everyday life
• Adopt new cats [think that one's already in process]
• Try and be a smidge more active
• Try and eat a smidge more healthy
• Not dwell too much on health phobias and fears
• Try and be more organised generally
• Finally make serious effort with Dumpster Office of Doom
• Watch less junk telly and more 'fill the well' telly
• READ more!

I may add to these later. Wish me luck, eh? :)

Not so much resolutions, more guidelines...

It's no use me making cast iron resolutions at the beginning of the year, because my willpower has the consistency of a poorly set blancmange, and I know I'll only falter and fail miserably in some of the things I resolve to do. But I am going to try a bit harder in some areas...

1. going to try not to put off important decisions because they are uncomfortable
2. going to try not to be scared of things and people
3. going to try and keep doing a bit of writing every day, so as not to lose contact with my muse and my projects
4. going to try to keep reading more and maybe sample new genres and subgenres
5. going to try and be a bit more organised
6. going to try and procrastinate less generally
7. going to try not to go ballistic over small setbacks and disappointments, and to maintain a more c'est la vie outlook
8. going to try and self publish something
9. going to try and do something about the Dumpster Office of Doom [yeah, I know I said that last year]

I'm sure there are other things, and I might post about them later, but that seems like a reasonable list... and I'm just trying to do this things, not saying I'm going to do them... and then end up feeling pathetic because I didn't. :)

Thought for the New Year!

Found a link to this clip on a great author message board that I frequent, Romance Divas, and I thought it was an apt sentiment for the start of a new year. 

No brooding on the mistakes and mis-steps of the past. It's the fun and the challenges ahead that are important. Here's hoping that 2011 is a brilliant year for us all! 

ps. also appropriate for my March 2011 Samhain release FAR FROM PERFECT, which has a hot Italian hero who likes to drive fast cars! :) 

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2010!

Progress... of sorts

Well, I finally caught up with where I'd previously got to with IN TOO DEEP. What a marathon that was... and it's taken so long that I've probably forgotten a lot of what I was supposed to be recapping. But I'm bloody well not going back *again*, that's for sure! I've started to move forward and I'm going to continue to do so... although I think I'm going to have to try and think things out more, as I go. I'm not sure this hoping for the best and pantsing it approach is working all that well with this particular book. I'm sort of tying myself in knots with the characterisation and the motivation of one particular character. I should have nailed him better first, because the mind-games he's playing throughout the plot need to be more consistent...

But then again, people in real life *aren't* consistent, are they? So maybe this makes the book more realistic rather than less so... it's hard to tell. I only know that there's going to be more, much more editing and tweaking and rewriting and layering to be done after the first draft is finished. Ack!

I've also made a tentative start on the gigantic backlog of web work that's built up while I was rushing to complete THE RETREAT and enjoying Christmas. Now there's a task and a half, 'cos there's *loads* of it! I'm sure it'll move along pretty swiftly though, once I get stuck in.

Himself is back at work tomorrow, so hopefully, I'll start getting more done then. It's jolly having him around, and the hols have been fun, but somehow I can't seem to focus properly when there's someone else in the house, even if he's busy doing something in another room. I seem to need the whole house to myself to be able to work properly.

I'm determined to waste far less time in 2008! It's not so much a New Year's Resolution as a simple hope that I can do better and be a bit more disciplined and productive. Wish me good luck with that one, eh? I'll need it!


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Telly: nothing yet
Choc/Yummy: nothing yet, but the Celebrations are calling, as are the mince pies
Mood: quite good
Writing: notes and thinking about In Too Deep
Reading: nothing yet
RSI/FMS: so so


Don't forget Portia's Promos - new stuff being added all the time!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Let's all have a great year!!!!